Manage Life By Building Thankfulness

By Author: Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.
Total Articles: 5
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Living in a continual state of thankfulness allows us to manage life with ease. True thankfulness is holding a state of gratitude for life's learning opportunities and for spirit being present to get them to sink in. How can we build gratitude into our spiritual skill set, in ways that help us navigate through daily complexity?

First, learn to affirm your innate ability to cope. For example:
I can do anything I set my mind to
I am strong enough to withstand any criticism that comes my way
I navigate through this course with ease
I have the ability to see this situation through because I believe in myself
I live through this day with effortlessness
I help people wherever I go by being an example of strength and wisdom
I feel on top of the world with spirit, who knows no boundary
I'm smart, competent, and wise
Then affirm that spirit is a part of each day and every circumstance, and invite it to become part of your skill set, in whatever manner that feels right to you:
I rely ...
... upon Mother/Father God to help mange this situation
I feel content knowing spirit helps to choose what is best for me
God can tackle this situation and work through me
I channel divine love to aid in this situation
With each breath I take, I am blessed and supported by a higher power
The Goddess gives me healing power for this situation
I am expressing the light of Christ consciousness with every word I speak
I am supported by the universe
The third and most certain way to manage complexity is to live in a state of deep appreciation for all you have. But how can we be thankful for traffic jams, lousy weather, lost dogs, and missing luggage? The answer is: widen your perspective. Being thankful extends beyond the thanking we do for material possessions, job security, or life accomplishments, which is easy. A thankful state of mind and heart pertains to the continual acknowledgment that, in each and every instance you experience something far less than ideal, the experience is for your greater good. In doing so, you are relying on your higher power, and strengthening your connection to the Divine. For example:
I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about my capabilities
I thank the universe for showing me this situation so I can be more compassionate toward others
I appreciate all the beautiful parts of my body because I am a wondrous creation
I welcome this challenge in my life and am thankful I can inspire others
Because of the family I have chosen, I am thankful to be even stronger than yesterday
I receive all my good with a thankful heart and rejoice in my blessings
My difficulties today allow me to cultivate wisdom. I am a wise soul!
Adopting this type of thankfulness puts you in the Superbowl of big picture thinking. You are not thanking the universe for giving you a bad circumstance, which will only generate more bad happenings. Instead, you are flourishing in a state of complete appreciation for what life has to offer
Don't you always feel more inclined to give more to someone when they are enthusiastic and appreciative? Consider the times you have helped someone and have been overwhelmed with thanks. Didn't it make you want to give more? Like does attract like, unlike what you've been told in the past. Although at a sub-atomic level, positively and negatively charged particles are attracted to particles with the opposite sign, and repelled by particles with the same sign, it's not a good model for our own behavior and attitudes. Our theory of the electromagnetic force does not account for the state of the heart. If you want to be a person that is appreciated then continue to give unselfishly, thanking others for all they do. The same is true with the universe. Life provides exactly what we continue to acknowledge. You've got to learn to love life, be in love with life, at an intimate level. Anytime we acknowledge life is good, we are entering a state of gratitude. Be thankful you have an opportunity to challenge yourself.
Practice! Write thanks to yourself, and to others, on a regular basis. Wherever you go, show up with a compliment. When you visit someone, bring something positive in the form of affection or caring. Tell your friends how much you appreciate their sense of humor or their graciousness and never assume they don't need to be thanked. Write thank you notes for dinners, gifts, and prospects you receive from all people in your life - your family, your partner, your children, and your business colleagues. When people receive your thanks, especially in written form, they take a little bit of your spirit throughout the day. Quit procrastinating and learn to get the words out of yourself. Once you learn how to do that, you will be amazed how that energy comes back to you.
Living in a continual state of thanks for being alive and well, and having a chance to improve the lives of others through your words and actions, turns negative situations around very quickly. By allowing life to happen through you, you offer your own unique thumbprint of the Divine. That is called living with joy. Thankfulness of the present is an element of almost every affirmation. Live in a continual state of thankfulness, express it in your words and actions, and you will be among the most endeared people on this planet. Without a thankful mind set, we do not nearly have as great an opportunity to explore the limits of our patience and our capabilities as loving individuals.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D., author of Let Your Goddess Grow! 7 Spiritual Lessons on Female Power and Positive Thinking and The Women's Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations that Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential (2005) provides guidance through everyday complexity with female imagery and positive thinking. Please visit www.thegoddessnetwork.net and register for her many self-help and inspirational programs, which include The Divine Woman, a free monthly newsletter!